News Summary
- Max Verstappen races at Portimão on Saturday, October 17, in the three-hour GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup finale.
- The race starts at 12:00 p.m. ET, 5:00 p.m. BST and 9:30 p.m. IST, with Australian and New Zealand viewers watching early on Sunday.
- GT World offers a free official international live stream in English, while the Brazilian edition of GRANDE PRÊMIO provides Portuguese-language coverage through its own platforms.
Max Verstappen’s next race is not in Formula 1. The four-time world champion will compete in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup finale at Portimão, Portugal, on Saturday, October 17, 2026, driving a Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO for his own Verstappen Racing operation.
Fans in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, India, Australia and New Zealand can follow the event through the championship’s official international live stream, with English-language coverage available free of charge.
The three-hour race starts at 5:00 p.m. local time in Portugal and the UK, equivalent to midday on the United States East Coast and 9:30 p.m. in India.
Verstappen will share the #3 Mercedes with Chris Lulham and Ben Barnicoat, competing against more than 60 GT3 cars, including the BMW driven by nine-time motorcycle world champion Valentino Rossi.
What time is Max Verstappen racing in the US, UK, Canada, India, Australia and New Zealand?
The GT World Challenge Europe race starts on Saturday, October 17, at 17:00 in Portugal (WEST, UTC+1).
| Country / city | Local race start |
|---|---|
| United States — New York (EDT) | Sat, Oct 17 — 12:00 p.m. |
| United States — Los Angeles (PDT) | Sat, Oct 17 — 9:00 a.m. |
| United States — Chicago (CDT) | Sat, Oct 17 — 11:00 a.m. |
| United Kingdom — London (BST) | Sat, Oct 17 — 5:00 p.m. |
| Canada — Toronto (EDT) | Sat, Oct 17 — 12:00 p.m. |
| Canada — Vancouver (PDT) | Sat, Oct 17 — 9:00 a.m. |
| India — New Delhi (IST) | Sat, Oct 17 — 9:30 p.m. |
| Australia — Sydney/Melbourne (AEDT) | Sun, Oct 18 — 3:00 a.m. |
| Australia — Brisbane (AEST) | Sun, Oct 18 — 2:00 a.m. |
| Australia — Perth (AWST) | Sun, Oct 18 — 12:00 a.m. |
| New Zealand — Auckland (NZDT) | Sun, Oct 18 — 5:00 a.m. |
| Portugal — Portimão (WEST) | Sat, Oct 17 — 5:00 p.m. |
| Brazil — Brasília (BRT) | Sat, Oct 17 — 1:00 p.m. |
The race is scheduled to finish three hours after the start, although safety-car periods, red flags or other interruptions could affect the programme.
Where to watch Verstappen’s GT3 race live in English
The official GT World YouTube channel will stream the Portimão race live and free in English, providing international coverage of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup finale.
Viewers can use the following official links:
The championship also provides live coverage of Friday’s practice and qualifying sessions, allowing fans to follow Verstappen before Saturday’s race.
The official stream is the recommended option for English-speaking audiences in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, India, Australia and New Zealand. Viewers should check the event page for any country-specific distribution changes.
What time is Verstappen’s Portimão qualifying?
Qualifying takes place on Friday, October 16, at 5:55 p.m. in Portugal and the United Kingdom.
Unlike Formula 1, all three drivers sharing a GT3 car contribute to the qualifying result.
The combined performance of Verstappen, Lulham and Barnicoat will determine the starting position of the #3 Mercedes.
| Country / city | Qualifying start |
|---|---|
| United States — New York | Friday, 12:55 p.m. |
| United States — Los Angeles | Friday, 9:55 a.m. |
| United Kingdom — London | Friday, 5:55 p.m. |
| Canada — Toronto | Friday, 12:55 p.m. |
| India — New Delhi | Friday, 10:25 p.m. |
| Australia — Melbourne/Sydney | Saturday, 3:55 a.m. |
| New Zealand — Auckland | Saturday, 5:55 a.m. |
| Brazil — Brasília | Friday, 1:55 p.m. |
Full Portimão GT3 schedule for Verstappen
The event begins on Thursday with testing, followed by practice and qualifying on Friday and the three-hour race on Saturday.
| Session | Portugal / UK | New York | India |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, Oct 16 — Free Practice 1 | 8:45 a.m. | 3:45 a.m. | 1:15 p.m. |
| Friday, Oct 16 — Free Practice 2 | 12:45 p.m. | 7:45 a.m. | 5:15 p.m. |
| Friday, Oct 16 — Qualifying | 5:55 p.m. | 12:55 p.m. | 10:25 p.m. |
| Saturday, Oct 17 — Race | 5:00 p.m. | 12:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. |
All session times are based on the event’s published timetable and may be revised by the organisers.
How to watch the Brazilian GRANDE PRÊMIO broadcast
The Brazilian edition of GRANDE PRÊMIO will also broadcast the Portimão GT World Challenge Europe weekend live, with Brazilian Portuguese commentary through its YouTube, TikTok and GPTV platforms.
This is the Brazilian-language broadcast, not an English-language international feed.
- GRANDE PRÊMIO Brasil — YouTube live broadcasts
- GRANDE PRÊMIO Brasil — TikTok
- GPTV — Brazilian motorsport channel on YouTube
The Brazilian broadcast will cover Friday’s practice and qualifying, followed by Saturday’s three-hour race.
Saturday’s Brazilian pre-race coverage begins at 12:30 p.m. Brasília time, corresponding to 11:30 a.m. in New York, 4:30 p.m. in London and 9:00 p.m. in India.
The race begins 30 minutes later.
Availability outside Brazil may be restricted by territorial broadcasting rights. International viewers looking for English commentary should use the official GT World feed.
Who will Verstappen race with at Portimão?
Verstappen will share the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO with British drivers Chris Lulham and Ben Barnicoat.
Lulham is a regular member of Verstappen Racing, having developed his career through sim racing and professional GT competition.
Barnicoat brings international endurance experience, including appearances in the IMSA SportsCar Championship.
The line-up was assembled because regular drivers Dani Juncadella and Jules Gounon have commitments in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Read more about Chris Lulham and Ben Barnicoat, Verstappen’s GT3 teammates.
Will Verstappen race against Valentino Rossi?
Yes. Max Verstappen and Valentino Rossi will compete in the same GT World Challenge Europe race at Portimão.
Verstappen will drive the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO, while Rossi will share the #46 BMW M4 GT3 EVO with Max Hesse and Neil Verhagen for Team WRT.
Both cars are entered in the Pro class and will compete for overall positions.
However, the endurance format means the two champions will not necessarily be on track simultaneously, as each crew rotates drivers during the race.
Read more about Verstappen and Valentino Rossi sharing the GT3 grid at Portimão.
What car will Verstappen drive?
Verstappen will compete in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO #3, operated by 2 Seas Motorsport under the Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing banner.
The GT3 car features a naturally aspirated V8 engine, an enclosed cockpit and endurance-specific equipment.
The programme is separate from Verstappen’s Formula 1 commitments with Red Bull.
The full story of why Verstappen races a Mercedes despite his Red Bull F1 ties explains how his team operates and its relationship with Mercedes-AMG.
For an introduction to the championship, see GT World Challenge Europe rules, classes and how Verstappen’s race works.
